Police were called at 4:03 pm on Saturday to investigate a report of destruction of private and public property, said Aquita Brown, spokeswoman for the local police. She said police are looking for a male suspect.

A spokeswoman for Trump International Hotel declined to comment. By Sunday afternoon, sheets of plywood had been placed in front of the messages and a security guard stood at the top of the steps.

Mr Trump's $212 million, 263-room hotel is located on Pennsylvania Avenue, just a few streets from the White House.

He has boasted that, win or lose the election, he will still be on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Rooms at the luxury hotel begin at $895 a night. During his presidential campaign, Donald Trump has often remarked that he will run the country the same way that he has run the building of this hotel: ahead of schedule and under budget.